Next To Me
by SpyKid18
Summary: At the Funny Girl callback Rachel finds herself introduced to the production's Nicky Arnstein. Three guesses as to who that is. ST. BERRY


**A/N: Hello all! This is based off the last episode and then my insane brain's interpretation of what could happen next. Hope you all enjoy!**

Next To Me

Rachel generally liked the endorphin rush of auditions, but this Funny Girl callback was giving her more trepidation than she cared to ever work through again. It was because she wanted it. She _really _wanted it. Fanny Brice was the role of a lifetime. It was what she had wanted since she was five and had sat cross-legged in front of the television watching Barbra sing her heart out. Fourteen years was a long time to carry around a dream.

"You need to calm down," Kurt told her, watching her pace around the kitchen. "You were made for this role."

"I don't know what to expect today," Rachel said, continuing to pace. "I mean, I've never done a callback before. What do you think they'll do?"

"Maybe have you sing some of the score?" Kurt suggested, to which Rachel's eyes grew comically wide. "Or not."

"No, that's probably exactly what they'll do. They'll have be sing some of Fanny's songs."

"And maybe test you with their Nicky Arnstein if they cast him already? You know, see if you two have chemistry?"

"Okay," Rachel said decisively, nodding her head as she thought through all these new scenarios. She could handle this. The score was practically written for her voice, and she was determined to have chemistry with whoever this Nicky Arnstein was if he was there. She'd have chemistry with an empty mic stand if she had to.

"What's the time now?" Kurt asked from the kitchen table, taking a sip of his coffee. Rachel glanced at her watch and exhaled loudly.

"Three hours," she murmured reverently. "Three hours until callbacks."

* * *

Rachel left early from the apartment, her nerves to overwrought for her to simply sit and bide her time. It was colder than usual for April and she pulled her light jacket tighter around her as she walked to the subway station. Thankfully it wasn't too windy – some days did a terror to her hair, and she decidedly did not want it to be one of those days.

The subway ride was short, only two stops, and she was on her way to the theater, trying to imagine herself making this commute every day. She glanced around at the little shops that dotted the street and thought to herself – that is where I will get coffee in the morning; that is where I will get salads for lunch; that is where I will sign autographs on opening night.

She stepped into the theater's lobby and immediately took her coat off, draping it over her arm. The door of the theater was open and she could hear another girl singing _Don't Rain on My Parade_. The girl's voice was nice and pure, and Rachel felt her nerves stir even more violently. This wasn't McKinley and glee club competitions anymore. This was real talent and real stakes. The girl got to the end of the song and hit the last note perfectly. Rachel wanted to vomit.

She moved away from the door, thinking that it was probably best for her to not spend the moments leading up to her audition watching the competition. As she walked away, though, she heard a familiar voice and was drawn back to the door. She thought she was hearing things at first – she had to be – but when she peeked through the open doorway her hearing proved just fine.

"You've got to be kidding me," he murmured softly.

Jesse St. James stood on the stage, listening to something the director was saying before turning toward the potential Fanny Brice and beginning to sing _You Are Woman_. Rachel's stomach flipped at the familiar sound of his voice. She'd never thought of him in the role of Nicky Arnstein before, and she realized then how foolish that had been. This role was tailor made for him. The girl began to sing her part and when the chorus came around Rachel thought to herself that the two of them didn't sound half bad together.

The director stopped the pair before they got any further and told the girl that they would get back to her with their decision. Rachel quickly moved from the doorway, not wanting it to appear that she was spying on the competition. After a few moments the girl walked out, cheeks flushed and gait shaky. Rachel considered saying good job but then thought against it. This was a competition, after all.

Rachel checked her watch and saw that it was just about time for her audition slot. She took a deep breath and then walked inside the theater, trying not to look at Jesse but instead at the back of the director's heads. One of them turned and smiled kindly toward her as he said, "Ms. Berry, it's nice to see you again."

"Thank you," Rachel said.

She placed her belongings on one of the seats and then quickly went up on the stage. The spotlights were on and she blinked rapidly as she adjusted to the bright lighting. She glanced momentarily at Jesse and the look on his face made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Ms. Berry, how are you today?"

"A little nervous," she admitted. "But I'm thrilled to be here."

"Fantastic," he said. "How about we start off with some _People_? Maybe the first half or so? We'll stop you once we've heard enough."

Rachel nodded, her eyes sliding toward Jesse again. He was watching her intently, slouched in his seat with his chin resting on his upturned hand. The pianist began to play and Rachel took a deep breath, letting the music flow through her, before making her entrance.

_People _had never been one of her favorite songs from the show, but in that moment she wouldn't have wanted to sing anything else. The words fell from her mouth with ease and she glided from one note to the next. She glanced at Jesse and noticed he had straightened in his seat, leaning forward slightly.

"That's enough," the director interrupted, stopping her just before the biggest part of the song. While she knew she could tackle it, she felt a flash of relief. "Jesse, how about you go up there now?"

"Sure thing, Hal."

Jesse rose from his seat and walked over to the stage, hopping up with his usual nonchalant candor. She couldn't help but grin a bit and when he caught it he returned the gesture.

"Alright, let's do some of _You Are Woman_," the director said, glancing down at his stack of papers. "Whenever you're ready."

Jesse glanced at Rachel and she gave him a small nod. Even after all the years between when they met and everything that had happened in those years, singing with him still felt like that first time. Her stomach flipped and flopped, mouth tugging at an involuntary half-smile. He was perfection, caressing and teasing the lyrics as he sang. Her turn came and she felt the familiar pull of his presence, making her push herself and perform better. He always had that effect on her. Whether it was to keep up or to impress she wasn't sure, but the results were the same. He made her better. She was half-convinced he could make anyone better.

The chorus came and their voice intermingled sweetly, both of them unintentionally drawing closer. For the first time in the auditions, she forgot about the directors sitting in the audience. All she felt was the pure joy of singing with someone with whom she was equally matched, and nothing else seemed to register. It wasn't until the director called for them to stop that she came back to reality and immediately worried she had been enjoying the moment too much. A glance back at the director assuaged her fears, though. He was glancing between them with a look of complete satisfaction.

"Well," he said, "I believe that is all we need to see. Thank you for coming in, Ms. Berry. We will be in contact with you soon."

Rachel nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear. She glanced at Jesse before walking off the stage, heading toward her belongings. She heard some commotion behind her as she left the theater, but told herself to keep walking. While she felt the audition had gone well, she didn't want to hang back and hear something that would shake her confidence. She turned back, though, when someone laid a hand on her shoulder, and she found herself face-to-face with Jesse.

"You got out of there fast," Jesse said, slightly out of breath. "I had to run to catch up with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly, laughing slightly. "I didn't want to hang around. Might have looked like I was eavesdropping or something."

He nodded, running his hand through his hair. She remembered that was something he always did when he was nervous.

"You were amazing in there."

"Thank you," she said, cheeks coloring.

"The best one today by far," he continued. "Actually, maybe the best period. I might be slightly biased, though." He smiled softly and added, "I always did love singing with you."

She felt her cheeks flush even deeper and she took a deep breath, telling herself to calm the hell down. This was Jesse St. James. She had been over him for three years.

"Congratulations on Nicky Arnstein," she said, changing the subject. "It's the role of a lifetime."

"Yeah," he said, grinning. "I suppose it is. Look, I have to get back to the theater. We have a few more potential Fanny Brices coming in. But would you ever consider the proposition of having coffee with me? I promise to keep things nice and topical. I won't even mention Finn."

She smiled slightly at his qualifying the coffee and said, "Yeah, I don't see why not."

She could tell by his expression that he hadn't expected her to say yes. Quickly he said, "That's great. That's…yeah…how about I call you? Maybe we can go sometime tomorrow or this weekend?"

She nodded. "That sounds good. Do you still have my number?"

He told her that he did and then asked, "You haven't deleted mine, have you?"

She laughed and said, "I contemplated it a few times, but no, it's still there."

"Good, so, I'll call you."

"Yeah," she said, finding herself surprisingly happy at that. "You'll call me. Have fun in there."

"I'll try. But we both know no one interprets Barbra like you."

Before she could respond he gave her a small wave and turned back into the theater. She watched the doors close before turning and heading to the subway.

**A/N: Let me know if you like this! I have fun things planned for the rest!**


End file.
